UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — After the shopping holidays of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we now have #GivingTuesday, an international day of philanthropy to help kick off the gift-giving season. Established in 2012 by the United Nations Foundation and the 92nd Street Y, #GivingTuesday has become an important day for devoted Penn Staters who want to give back to the University. This year the College of Arts and Architecture encourages gifts to two special funds on #GivingTuesday, Nov. 29: the newly established Blue Band Legacy Fund and the Alumni Society Scholarship Fund.
The Blue Band Legacy Fund was created to provide long-term, dependable — yet flexible — funding for the Blue Band. This new fund will supplement the Floating LION Club, which provides annual support for the band. The new Blue Band Legacy Fund will provide significant funding for the band in perpetuity. Thanks to the generosity of Blue Band alumni David and Lori Bowers Uhazie, both members of the Class of 1982, gifts to the fund on #GivingTuesday will be matched up to $10,000.
The Alumni Society Scholarship Fund was established by alumni from across the college’s majors and currently supports seven students per year, representing each of the college’s schools and departments. The Alumni Society’s goal is to increase the amount of the endowment in order to provide more — and more generous — scholarships. The overall goal is to increase the endowment to at least $350,000 by 2019, the 20th anniversary of the endowment’s creation.